Page 86 of A Perfect Disaster

“I’m not saying she doesn’t. But maybe it would be wiser for Nico to back her up for the first half hour to keep the crowd from getting out of hand,” I suggest.

“Nico is coming with me to Deck Eleven. I need him to set up the cooking demonstration, and then he’s going to supervise things with Leo,” she explains, finally locking her eyes on mine.

“You need your best asset just to set up four tables?” I ask sarcastically.

Maika holds my gaze, and a spark of stubbornness glints in her eyes.

“Helen, I know exactly how to do the job.”

“I didn’t say otherwise,” I reply, taking a small step forward.

“You didn’t need to,” she retorts.

Lara looks at Nico as if they were watching a soap opera from the front row; Nico focuses on the radiant floor, and Leo flips through the folder as if it were the manuscript of a bestseller. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I don’t want a fight right in the middle of the hallway.

“Just make sure the guys have backup if things heat up,” I ask her in a whisper.

Maika nods, cold as an iceberg.

“No problem.”

A chill runs down my spine. Something’s going on here.

The morning goes on and my suspicions are confirmed, putting me in a monumental bad mood. In the Latin dance class at the pool, Maika lets Leo take the heat of leading a hundred people while she stays on the sidelines teaching the basic steps to four older gentlemen. She wants to sabotage her own bid for the job!

“Don’t mess with me,” I mutter under my breath.

In the play area, a kid spills a chocolate milkshake right in the middle of the floor. Lara gets distracted and forgets to call for cleaning service. And I, already anticipating the disaster of parents slipping on the chocolate, sound the alarm right away. And every time I fix one of her “oversights,” I feel less pride and more of an urge to scream.

At noon, fed up with worrying, I corner Gonzalo next to the water dispensers in the crew-only area.

“Have you noticed Maika acting weird, or am I just being paranoid?” I snap at him, leaning in so no waiter can hear us.

Gonzalo raises an eyebrow.

“Define ‘weird’ in Maika’s dictionary.”

“She’s dumping the dirty work on the newbies. Tasks she’d normally have to supervise herself.”

“Well, I think she wants to see if they’ll get their act together now that we’re nearing the end of the voyage,” he replies with a shrug.

“Don’t give me that, Gonzalo, you know her…”

“Maybe she’s just feeling down, I don’t know,” he adds.

He sighs, sets down the thermos, and looks back at me. There it is. He’s noticed too.

“Don’t drag me into your drama, Helen. I’ve got enough on my plate.”

“Need I remind you that you’re in it up to your neck, Cupid?” I retort.

“No way. I’m on the sidelines, enjoying the show of watching two gorgeous, brilliant women try to sacrifice their careers for love while pretending to play chess. It’s a Greek tragedy, but the view is fantastic,” he says with a mischievous smile.

I’m stunned. Gonzalo screws the cap back on.

“Come on, Helen, please. Neither you nor she needs to sabotage yourselves.”

“I’m not doing anything.”